Bangladesh PM Hasina asks countrymen to be firm with those engaging in sabotage in the name of protest

Dhaka, Aug 4 (PTI) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said that those engaging in sabotage across Bangladesh in the name of protest are not students but terrorists and asked people to suppress them with a firm hand, as fresh violence erupted in several parts of the country.

At least two people were killed and 30 others injured Sunday in clashes between protestors and the ruling Awami League supporters as thousands of demonstrators gathered in various parts of the country demanding Prime Minister Hasina’s resignation.

Hasina called a meeting of the National Committee on Security Affairs at Ganabhaban, Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported citing sources from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Those engaging in sabotage in the name of protest across the country are not students but terrorists, she said.

“I appeal to the countrymen to suppress these terrorists with a firm hand,” she said.

The meeting was attended by the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, police, RAB, BGB, and other top security officers.

The prime minister’s security adviser and the home minister were also present in the meeting.

The fresh violence erupted days after over 200 people were killed in violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to a controversial quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971.

On Saturday, Hasina called an emergency meeting with university vice-chancellors and college principals after protest leaders refused her invitation to the talks and demanded her resignation.